The Old Broad on Fort Rosecrans Cemetery and UPS/FedEx/ DHL

The Old Broad Writes …

Michael Turko interviewing Judi Curry, June 2013.

Ft. Rosecrans Cemetery

Several years ago I wrote a number of articles about the deplorable condition of the Ft. Rosecrans Cemetery.  (See here, here, and here.) At about the same time Michael Turko [ed: of the former “Turko Files”] also did a piece about the cemetery and between us the transformation of the grounds was amazing.  Doug Ledbetter, the Director at the time of the articles, listened to us and within a year it was again a beautiful place to visit our loved ones.

Doug left Ft. Rosecrans a few years ago, and although I met the new Director once, I have not contacted him since that first meeting.

Obviously it is time to do so, because now the grounds on the Bay side are beautiful, but the roads going towards the back part of the cemetery are horrible.

Roots from trees have raised the asphalt and if you are not aware of it, you are going to throw your car out of alignment just by driving over it at 5 MPH.  I am aware that the bumps are there, but I still always seem to hit one of the two every single time I visit.  This usually happens because there is a car coming the opposite way and I make room for it to pass me.

Sometimes I think that I have moved over enough to miss it, and find that I haven’t, or sometimes I just plain forget how bad it is.  I noticed Saturday that they have paved one area that was bad, but the other two seem to be worse.  It is so tempting to give the cemetery a bill for realigning my car, because one fender now protrudes over the tire and it was caused by going over that pavement at the cemetery. (The amount to repair it was estimated at $1200!).

They have a crew working there all the time; why hasn’t it been repaired?  Do people have to make a commotion before it is recognized?  I KNOW that others have the same problem. People tell me about it.

Ft. Rosecrans will be my final “resting” place.  I don’t want my kids to say that they couldn’t come “visit” me because the roads were impassable.  That might work in snow country but not in Pt. Loma. It might take a day or two to fix it; if there isn’t a budget for it then put out cones blocking it off; or rope it off; of have a sign, or…….

It’s time!

UPS/FedEx/ DHL

My next door neighbor sent me a text telling me that she had 3 packages delivered at 1:27pm by Fed Ex, but nothing was on her front porch.  She wondered if I saw them.

This is not a new thing – there seems to be cars/trucks, etc., following the delivery vans in the neighborhood and even before the drivers pull away from the curb the thief has the package in his/her car and is pulling away to follow the delivery truck.

So I decided to do some checking on the packages that I have delivered.  And, not surprising, I found several things that do not deter the thief.  (And the remedy is so simple.)

I had a large package delivered from Chewy’s pet supplies; a large package – and a small one – from Amazon – and a medium size package from an “unknown” retailer.  I also had a package of pills delivered by the mailman.

Without any exception, NOT ONE of the delivery people rang my doorbell.  It did not make a difference who the company was – the doorbell was not rung.  I actually saw one of the drivers stand at the bottom of the steps (there are 5 of them) and THROW the package up the steps to the stoop!)

I asked two of the drivers why they didn’t ring the bell and they both answered me the same way:  “Your dog is barking so you must know that someone is here!”

My dog barks at other dogs walking down the street; he barks at cats; at crows; at the hawks that seem to have moved into the neighborhood.

Very seldom does my great security dog bark at people! He is more apt to invite you into the house with a toy of his choosing; and will take you on a tour of the house to include where the jewelry might be; when I keep my money; where I might even keep my stash!

But to bark because a stranger is on the front porch? Particularly a stranger that he sees day in and day out because it seems to be the same delivery driver daily will never happen.

So let’s get on the companies themselves.  Take these people off such a tight schedule that that cannot take the time to ring a doorbell. Make it MANDATORY that when a package is delivered the doorbell must be rung. After all, they have time to take a picture of it delivered on the porch and send me an email showing it delivered.  Ring the frigging bell!!!!